A Nightmare on Elm Street Page #14

GLEN:

Okay, I won't screw up.

77. Nancy takes a deep breath. Then without another word turns off 77.

the TV and the light.

GLEN (IN DARK)

Jesus, it's dark in here.

NANCY:

Shhh. Now listen, here's what

we're gonna do...

78. EXT. ELM STREET. NIGHT. 78.

FADE UP ON NANCY, still in her pajamas, walking through the

shadowy streets near her home, listening for the slightest

sound. We MOVE with her. But nothing, not even the dog barking

earlier, is there now. NANCY peers into the darkness of lawns

and trees behind her.

NANCY:

(stage whisper)

You still there?

Across the street and a distance away, GLEN steps from behind a

tree.

GLEN:

Yeah. So?

NANCY:

Just checking -- keep out of

sight!

GLEN throws up his hands in exasperation and walks back out of

sight. NANCY turns and looks down between the houses, deep into

a dark alleyway. Then she forces herself to walk into it.

79. EXT. ALLEY. NIGHT. 79.

MOVING WITH HER as she makes herself go deeper and deeper into

shadows. Each time she pauses and waits, the MUSIC grows more

threatening and expectant. The feeling is of immense tension --

we're sure the killer will come screaming out on her at any

second.

But he doesn't. In fact absolutely nothing happens, and NANCY

emerges from the far end of the alley unscathed. The only thing

strange is that she now finds her self looking across the mall to

80. EXT. POLICE STATION. NIGHT. 80.

The Police Station. It takes her a little by surprise, it just

seems to have appeared.

MUSIC creeps into the NIGHTMARE THEME as NANCY whispers hoarsely

back down the dark alley.

NANCY (CONTD)

Still there?

81. EXT. ALLEY. NIGHT. 81.

We only HEAR the DISTANT VOICE, slightly ECHOED.

GLEN'S VOICE (OS)

(yawning)

Still here!

NANCY:

On your toes, right?

NANCY stares into the dark trying to see him, but she can't. She

turns back and makes up her mind to move without him in sight.

82. EXT. POLICE STATION. NIGHT. 82.

MUSIC MOUNTS as we MOVE WITH NANCY across the lawns to the police

station, creeping to the first lighted window she sees. It's a

low, barred basement window, and NANCY reacts as soon as she

looks through it.

83. INT. ROD'S CELL. NIGHT. 83.

NANCY'S POV down into ROD LANE's cell. The boy is on his rough

cot, twitching in disturbed sleep. And a long SHADOW is sliding

across the wall.

A big SHAPE appears in the shadowed corridor outside the boy's

cell, and as IT walks closer NANCY can barely see it's the

shambling, grimly scarred man with the filthy red and yellow

sweater and strange slouch hat pulled across his brow. The

KILLER from all of their nightmares.

And this giant shadow of a man passes through the bars of the

cell, like so much evil Jello. Halfway through he pauses,

turning to check over his shoulder. We see the bars clearly

penetrating his body, going in his head, passing out his ankles.

Then he turns back to ROD and moves forward, and within another

heartbeat is beside the boy.

84. EXT. POLICE STATION. NIGHT. 84.

NANCY draws back sharply, swallowing in terror. She looks behind

her for help.

NANCY (CONTD)

Glen.

No answer.

NANCY (CONTD)

(louder)

Glen?!

The street is absolutely deserted. There is no motion, and no

sound save one:
the distant but unmistakeable sound of GLEN

SNORING.

NANCY (CONTD)

GLEN!

A beat of silence after the shout's echoes die, then the steady,

boyish SNORES again. NANCY swears under her breath and jerks

back around, forcing herself to look again into ROD's cell.

85. INT. ROD'S CELL. 85.

IN HER POV -- the killer picks up ROD's bedsheet and tests it

between his powerful hands. Without thinking, NANCY bangs

against the glass.

NANCY (CONTD)

Rod! Look out!

The KILLER wheels around, locking eyes with NANCY. The girl goes

white. The man's face is in the light, and it's horrible --

seething with hatred and a twisted, insane intelligence.

The hold of those eyes is only broken when ROD rolls up on an

elbow with a deep, troubled GROAN. The instant ROD does this,

the KILLER fades into the shadows in the cell. But even then his

eyes hold on NANCY's until the last second he's visible.

ROD looks around the cell groggily, runs his fingers through his

matted hair, then collapses back on his pillow. No matter how

hard NANCY screams, ROD never once looks at the window. He just

pulls the twisted covers about his shoulders and succumbs once

more to sleep.

And now the bed sheet is no longer on the bed. The KILLER,

materializing out of the shadow again, is holding it between his

hands like a garrote. He looks up and leers at NANCY, then moves

for ROD.

86. EXT. POLICE STATION. NIGHT. 86.

ANGLE BACK ON NANCY. She pounds on the window, then turns in

frustration and yells into the night.

NANCY:

Glen!!

She turns back to the cell in desperation.

87. OMIT OMIT 87.

88. INT. ROD'S CELL. 88.

IN NANCY'S POV we look into a cell that is quite deserted save

for ROD. Sleeping peacefully.

89. EXT. POLICE STATION. NIGHT. 89.

NANCY pulls back from the window, stunned.

Rate this script:3.7 / 3 votes